KOB4 sits down with former Secretary of State cleared of corruption charges

Posted at: 11/15/2012 10:27 PM
By: Joe Vigil, KOB Eyewitness News 4

In an exclusive KOB Eyewitness News 4 sit-down interview, former secretary of state Rebecca Vigil Giron, who sat down with our reporter Joe Vigil, described the three year ordeal after a judge dismissed her corruption case.

The judge said her right to a speedy trial was violated. In out interview with Vigil Giron there was obvious anger aimed directly at fellow Democrat Attorney General Gary King. "I have been vindicated," Vigil Giron said. "Nothing that they accused me of was true. And the couldn't prove it. And they couldn't prove it in a timely fashion."

Vigil Giron was accused of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and receiving kickbacks related to more than $6 million in federal money spent on voter education advertisements in New Mexico that she appeared in.

The Attorney General's Office investigated and Vigil Giron was indicted in 2009 only to see delay after delay in the case.

During our interview we heard the word lie more than once and Vigil Giron pointed the finger at King.

"How would you feel if you had someone lie about you everyday for 365 days for 6 years?" she asked.

She said the public was led to believe that millions of dollars spent on the ad campaign could not be accounted for. She says the feds did an audit and all the money was accounted for.

"So you're saying there was no missing at all. That was made up? That was a complete lie?" KOB4 reporter Joe Vigil asked.

"That was a complete lie - complete lie - yes," Vigil Giron said.

She said during grand jury proceedings evidence was intentionally left out that would have cleared her.

"It was a political witch hunt," Vigil Giron said. "It was a process that kept me from pursing my public service career and it was done intentionally and done maliciously."

She called King and his prosecutors 'baiters.'

"That's what Gary King and his prosecutors are - they're baiters," she said. "They have to take care of their own insecurities by trying to destroy somebody else's good reputation. Well, we'll just let the lord take care of that."

The prosecutor in the case says he may appeal the judge's ruling.

Until then, Vigil Giron is off to a new start. She now goes by Vigil-Gutierrez. She recently re-married and is now looking for work.

KOB4 found King at a public function Thursday, but he refused to comment on Vigil Giron's allegations.

We were, however, able to speak with King's spokesman, Phil Sisneros, who said any comment by the Attorney General wouldn't be appropriate.

"We understand there have been some rather disparaging comments made about the Attorney General but it would not be ethical for him to respond to those simply because the possibility of a criminal case continuing on appeal," he said.

Sisneros did say it's too bad the evidence did not make it to a jury adding that if that would have happened the state would have prevailed in the case.